Pathan~~s father gets the pink slip from mosque

Vadodara:Mohammad Khan Pathan, father of cricketer Irfan Pathan, working as "bangi" (the person who announces the time of namaz) in the Jumma Masjid at Mandvi area of the city has been relieved for alleged dereliction of duty.

"Mohammad Khan Pathan had failed in his duty to protect the age-old Quran kept in the mosque and he along with his family members left for London without informing anybody," trustee of Jumma Masjid, Dayma Kumar said.

The Quran was damaged due to leakage when it rained heavily in the city in the last week of June, he said adding Mohammad Khan was aware of the condition of the room and during rainy season he used to protect the copy of the Scripture.

"On his return from London, I questioned him over preservation (of Quran) following which there was a heated arguement," Kumar said.

Mohammad Khan then told Dayma Kumar that he was not interested in doing the work and the trustees decided to discharge him from the duty, the latter claimed.

Mohammad Khan and his family were staying in a room inside the mosque premises before moving to their new residence at Vasna road in the city.

Reacting to the trust's decision to discharge him, Mohammad Khan said he was very upset over the decision because he was doing his job diligently for the last several decades.